Karyn Kerr Pettigrew (MBA 1990)
(Illustration by Gisela Goppel)

Karyn Kerr Pettigrew (MBA 1990)
(Illustration by Gisela Goppel)

We all have turning points in our lives—clarifying moments that change the trajectory of our lives. The value is in how we choose to process them. For me, it’s always been about listening to my inner voice and choosing to follow it. In high school, my family and I traveled from Chicago to the East Coast for a whirlwind college tour. Stepping onto the campus at Wellesley College just felt different. It intuitively felt like the right place for me. I remember recognizing that feeling as something to pay attention to.

At Wellesley, I had a similar intuitive experience when I switched majors from neuropsych to economics. That change was scary because it was late in the game, but the decision led to a relief that, again, just felt right. Over the years I have had other clarifying moments when I just “felt” it was time to change. In the early part of my career, I worked on the Gatorade brand at Quaker Oats, moved on to be deputy director of the Illinois State Lottery, and then followed my boss to People’s Energy—solid career successes. Even so, I felt accomplished but empty.

While at People’s, I met Sonia Choquette. Her book, Your Heart’s Desire, created another turning point. I began to explore the connection between mind, body, and spirit. I jokingly tell people that I went all “woo-woo.” At one point Sonia said, “I think you’re supposed to be doing what I’m doing”; in other words, guiding people to full expression. But I wasn’t ready to listen. My response was, “Yeah, no. I went to Wellesley and Harvard. I work in corporate.” She said, “Well, at a minimum, you’re going to write a book and tell people how to get off the hamster wheel.” That stuck with me.

As I continued in my role at People’s, I was very aware of that accomplished-but-empty feeling. I carried it, like a little albatross, for a few more years, ignoring the opportunity to process my truth. The discord took a toll on my work, relationships, and health. At one point, my boss told me I had been tapped for advancement and to go home over the holiday break, pull it together, and think about what I might want to do. When I came back, I told her I was leaving—because people needed to know how to get off the hamster wheel.

In addition to writing a book, I started a practice—Beyond Blind Spots—to coach entrepreneurs and executives. I created exercises to help people gain clarity on what makes them, them, and then connect their personal mission to their expression in work.

In 2020, applying the same methodology to myself, I launched ZoeGoes, a sustainable line of travel clothing created with the understanding that women should be allowed to explore the world and themselves in it, without prejudice or limitation. Everything I do now is filtered through that lens, so it also informs the work I do in coaching women over 50 who want to start a new business or philanthropic venture, or simply live their extraordinary life as they define it. There are so many ways to execute a mission. Once you do that, the quality of your life changes, and it doesn’t require flipping your world upside down. Just pay attention to what your inner voice is telling you. Notice those whispers. Listen. Go where you’re most afraid to go. If we choose the path that animates us most, it leads to expansion and impact, which takes us from accomplished and empty to accomplished and full.

Karyn Kerr Pettigrew is the author of I Quit and Choose Work That Aligns with My Soul and the upcoming Extraordinary on Your Terms.

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